How to Remove Your Old Toilet

With regular use, it’s only natural that things need to get replaced. Sometimes you need to remove your old toilet because you’re placing down new tiles. Maybe your toilet is now wobbly and you need to find a way to get it fixed. Other times there could be a serious leak due to a major crack in the base of the toilet. Whatever the reason, you can do this process yourself with no expert knowledge. Here are some tips to help you remove your old toilet.

Taking a Razor Knife and Scoring the Bottom

One of the first steps is getting a razor knife and scoring the bottom of the toilet base so that you can make sure that the caulk doesn’t stay attached to the tile. Additionally, you want to remove the putty caps so you can loosen the nuts up. You can find the putty caps on the side of your toilet. The next step is actually removing the water.

How to Get Rid of the Water in Your Exit Bowl

The key is to use a sponge if you don’t have a shot bag. Make sure you have rubber gloves and take your time to put a soft sponge out and dump into a bucket until everything is out of the bowl. Once you’ve removed all of the water, you can remove the putty caps and take the bolts off the side. Since you’ve already cut the caulk, you can lift the entire toilet at this point. A good idea is to use a plastic bag to wrap the bottom of the toilet bowls. This way you don’t drip any waste. Find a good place to trash the old toilet. Be very careful when picking this up. Toilets can weigh anywhere between 40 and 140 pounds. You may need a few people to help you carry it outside if you find your toilet is on the heavier side.

Where Should You Drop the Old Toilet Off?

Obviously, you’re not going to have an old toilet just sitting on your front lawn for days and days. That’s just asking for unnecessary attention. There are landfills with tons of toilets, but that’s not the most eco-friendly solution. Take time to call a recycling center nearby. They can find tons of uses for your old toilet. Recycling centers can crush the toilet and turn it into road aggregate. This is a much better way of letting go of your toilet and it’s environmentally friendly. Don’t leave it at a landfill when you can go ahead and find someone who can get more use out of it. It’s not too hard to remove your toilet. Just be careful not to destroy the tiles. Use your knife meticulously to help cut around the base. Additionally, you should always wear rubber gloves for the cleaning portion. Use a bag so there’s no drip action which can damage your carpet and make you spend more money. With these steps in hand, you can make things cost effective so you won’t need to depend on a plumber.